{"id":3305,"date":"2016-11-18T14:18:24","date_gmt":"2016-11-18T19:18:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonhockey.com\/?p=3305"},"modified":"2016-11-18T14:18:24","modified_gmt":"2016-11-18T19:18:24","slug":"frederik-andersen-form-improving","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2016\/11\/18\/frederik-andersen-form-improving\/","title":{"rendered":"Frederik Andersen Form Improving for Maple Leafs"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Toronto Maple Leafs<\/strong> have been\u00a0bouncing around the standings as of late. With a couple of hot streaks and surprises, the Leafs have exceeded initial expectations of being a bottom-five team early in this season. A large part of this is because of Leafs starting goaltender,\u00a0Frederik Andersen<\/a><\/strong><\/strong>, who after a rocky beginning to the season, has finally come into a form of his own.<\/p>\n

Frederik Andersen<\/a> Form Improving for Maple Leafs<\/h2>\n

Early Season Struggles<\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

Andersen cemented his place as the number-one goalie in the off-season. After former starter\u00a0Jonathan Bernier<\/a><\/strong> was traded to the\u00a0Anaheim Ducks<\/strong>, the Leafs signed backup goalie\u00a0Jhonas Enroth<\/a><\/strong>. This opened the door for Andersen to become the Leafs goalie of the future.<\/p>\n

As the season began, Andersen unfortunately did not seem to be at the top of his game. Within his first five games of the season, he posted a .851 save percentage with only one win.<\/p>\n

Many critics, including\u00a0Hockey Night In Canada<\/strong>‘s own\u00a0Don Cherry<\/a><\/strong><\/strong>, responded negatively to Andersen’s early goaltending struggles. During a\u00a0Coach’s Corner<\/strong> segment, Cherry blamed the Leafs early season struggles on their goaltending.<\/p>\n

“The biggest mistake they ever made,” Cherry said. “It’s the problem with the Leafs right now, why they\u2019re losing. I’ll come out and say it is that their goaltending is lousy.”<\/p>\n

With so much criticism on their backs, things were looking rocky for both the Leafs and Andersen, but they looked forward optimistically.<\/p>\n

Signs of Improvement<\/h3>\n

Over the next few games, Andersen proved that he deserved a starting job in Toronto. With the team’s young stars emerging, Andersen went on to post a .927 save percentage, while accumulating five wins in his next seven starts.<\/p>\n

\n

Since the Tampa Bay blowout, Frederik Andersen is 7-3-0 with a .931 save percentage.<\/p>\n

— Alec Brownscombe (@MapleLeafsHS) November 18, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n